Thorns to Brunner Island for shutting out anglers and boaters (editorial)

Ryan Bridge lives within sight of Brunner Island, the coal-and gas power plant.

Wochit

Talen Energy’s gift to York County right before the holiday season was a figurative lump of coal – no surprise, perhaps, considering that the company’s Brunner Island facility is a coal-fired power plant.

Brunner Island is also one of the most polluting power plants in our state and region.

Brunner Island, a coal-fired power plant in York Haven, will cut 42 jobs over the next few months.

Brunner Island, a coal-fired power plant in York Haven, will cut 42 jobs over the next few months.

File image

One silver lining of having that huge polluter in our backyard has been some decent public amenities – a boat launch and public access to some good fishing holes on the Susquehanna River. It’s been a popular spot for anglers, boaters and hikers.

A company spokesman said there were issues with inappropriate and sometimes illegal activities at the site. The company, he wrote in an email, wanted to focus on running a power plant.

Then the company sent a letter to the editor in response to news coverage of the public access denial.

A few choice quotes:

“First, our Brunner Island employees have clear priorities, which are the safe and efficient operation of the power plant. As an Independent Power Producer, Talen Energy is not a public utility. As an IPP, there are no requirements to provide recreational programming or public access. As such our company no longer operates recreation programs at any of our plant locations.”

So, it’s not just about a few bad apples spoiling things for everyone near Brunner. It’s a company-wide decision to shut down “recreation programs” at all plants.

Indeed, we saw that a couple of years ago, when Talen closed access to a park and to the trailhead of Kelly’s Run – a popular hiking destination along the river in Lancaster County. Luckily, the Lancaster County Conservancy stepped up and negotiated a land acquisition that allowed public access to the trail.

Another quote from the letter to the editor:

“… Our company makes decisions based on its core business objectives, as well as any risks associated with any activity outside those business objectives. The Brunner Island station is an active electricity generating plant and our primary objectives are the safety of our employees and our neighbors, reliable generation of electricity and powering Pennsylvania homes and businesses. In doing so, we’re able to provide good pay and benefits for our employees and contribute to the stability of commonwealth’s tax base. It is for these reasons that we believe it’s in everyone’s interest that we focus on our core generation business.”

Read between the lines here and the message seems clear: The company is focused on the bottom line. The warm and fuzzy days of public utilities offering public recreation amenities to balance the serious environmental problems associated with fossil-fuel-generated electricity are pretty much over.

Maybe that public-be-damned attitude plays well in the America of President Donald Trump, who promised to protect coal jobs.

But we think it stinks – literally.

More alarming, Brunner Island is still a major emitter of pollutants. And it’s hard to imagine EPA head Scott Pruitt pushing to further clean up plants such as Brunner Island.

It would have been hard to imagine some years ago longing for the days of PPL ownership of Brunner Island. But darned if we don’t. The plant was a major polluter, but at least local folks could go out there and fish.

A public meeting will be held Saturday at the Conewago Inn to discuss this decision by Talen to deny recreational access to the river. Come out and let the company know what you think of this lump of coal our community got for Christmas.